disney #ft4rl newest - saverocity · 2015-11-12 · @bachfancy haleyb tour guide mom • 3 kids, 2...
TRANSCRIPT
Disney World travel hacker style
@bachfancyHaleyB
Tour Guide Mom
• 3 kids, 2 boys 1 girl, youngest is 17• currently live in Austin TX• born in NY, grew up in CA, lived in
Canada• worked with special needs kids, lead
teacher infant room, Children’s Hospital patient advocate
• extreme couponing late ’80’s-90’s• reselling 2000-2005, currently• CC churning & points since 1988
remember when chase gave us UR on debit card spending?
• You need to get there • You need to decide where to sleep • You need to figure out how long to stay • You need to figure out where to eat • You need to figure out transportation • You need to plan out your daily activities*
Going to Disney is not unlike going other places
*this is a bit different than your average family vacation
a Disney trip requires research and thoughtful planningbecause it is often a high
expectation trip for our kids (and because it is expensive)
also, it is big…
Why does Disney require so much planning?
Disney World is Big
There are over 30 onsite resort choices Each of those has multiple room types
There are over 175 area hotels the MK now has 30 Fastpass+ options
You get to pick 3There are 139 restaurants on property
79 require advanced reservationsSeveral require you to book 181 days out
Walt Disney World is big…
x
The are over 30,000 rooms on-site and over 90,000 off-site
Average attendance at just the MK is about 50,000 guests
Peak attendance at the MK is around 100,000 guests
There are over 60 rides and attractions just in the MK
A trip to Disney requires a good plan and deserves a full week!
Disney Planning 101 (hacker style)
Create two accountsDecide when to go*Decide where to sleep & book*MS a discount on Disney Gift CardsCreate a Disney Savings accountBuy tickets*@ 181 days book dining@ 60 or 30 days book FP+Create touring plans*
Disney Planning 101 (hacker style)
1. Create two accounts
• use different email addresses • vary names & ages • try to vary mailing address
2. Book a room only reservation
• under account ‘A’ book 65 days out (1 night deposit, in 2016 3 night deposit)
• under account ‘B’ book real dates, hopefully over 181 days out
Disney Planning 101 (hacker style)
• if there is a penalty to cancel ask to change arrival dates instead, then cancel (currently over 5 days is no penalty to cancel)
• Set ‘A’ will not have tickets attached but you will be able to add Fastpass+ in park
• If you have a spare set of tickets to attach to set ‘A’ you can make selections 30 days out
• You will want to make sure you attach tickets to set ‘B’ at least 61 days before arrival
• You should know what Fastpass+ you want at least 62 days before arrival
• a Disney specialist Travel Agent can be a huge help with this
3. Cancel reservation ‘A’ after Magic Bands arrive
You now have an extra set of Magic Bands
Decide When to go: major considerations
1. WeatherRain, Humidity, Heat, Hurricane
Season, Snow* *not in WDW but effecting your flights
2. Crowd LevelsAttendance is up across all dates crowds can have a HUGE impact
on your trip
3. CostsFor both on and off site Resorts
and hotels prices will vary throughout the year.
Easiest way to look up room rates is on mousesavers.com
http://www.mousesavers.com/2016-disney-world-room-rates-season-dates/
My sweet spot is April-May
lower crowd levelslower room cost*
better weatherFew Ride Closures
Star Wars WeekendsFlower and Garden Show
Pro Tip: Lower room prices at Disney resorts correlate to lower expected crowd
levels
* not the very lowest of the year * all other costs are fairly fixed
Disney Planning 101 (hacker style)
Create two accountsDecide when to go*Decide where to sleep & book*MS a discount on Disney Gift CardsCreate a Disney Savings accountBuy tickets*@ 181 days book dining@ 60 or 30 days book FP+Create touring plans*
The first decision is between staying at a Disney Resort or staying off-site. For the last decade the pro/con of each worked out to just about a tie and was mostly a matter of preference. Fastpass+ has changed that.
Disney has three Resort LevelsDeluxe $$$-$$$$
Moderate $$ Value $
Deluxe Resorts have the best locations, multiple sit down dining options, club levels, and the double rooms have
queen sized beds
Moderate Resorts have a sit down dining option, and bigger pools with water slides, and also have queen sized
beds
Value Resorts have the best quick service dining options, cute pools, dedicated buses, double rooms have full sized
beds
The ability to reserve Fastpass+ 60 days in advance trumps any edge offsite stays have. Even when crowd levels are in the midrange a 5 or 6 according to touringplans.com or any of the other crowd prediction calendars it makes a huge difference.
If you have been to WDW in the past, but not in the last 18 months, crowd levels are up 20% across the board. A 5 or 6 rated day will feel as busy as a 7 or 8 did a few years ago.
Fastpass+ This is Disney’s system for reserving ride times in advance and it can turn a 90 minute wait into a 10 minute wait.
Offsite Disney Springs location
EMH eligible Nice pool
Max room occupancy 4 About equal to a Moderate
Onsite Nice pool
Max room occupancy 4 A Disney Moderate $167-$308 a night
Options include
• The Swan/Dolphin bookable w/SPG points • Good Neighbor Hotels • Every big hotel chain • Many non-chain hotels • Rental homes • Timeshare units and so on…
My favorite Timeshare option is Bonnet Creek
There are too many off property choices to cover
Disney Planning 101 (hacker style)
Create two accountsDecide when to goDecide where to sleep & bookMS a discount on Disney Gift Cards
Create a Disney Savings accountBuy tickets@ 181 days book dining@ 60 or 30 days book FP+Create detailed daily touring plans
This information is in the Saverocity Forums Level 2
TicketsThe very new Platinum Annual Pass (basic)
Unrestricted entrance to four major parks for one year
$797.69 incl. tax Memory Maker (was photo pass)
Park hopping Free Parking
AP Room Rates (when offered) Merchandise Discounts ~10% (most stores)
Dining Discounts ~10% (some places)
Current MYW Ticket Prices entrance to four major parks with or without Park hopping
Adult 4 day $324.83 hopper $392.99Adult 6 day $ 346.13 hopper $414.29
It may make sense for one person in your family to have an Annual Pass for the discounts and free parking if staying offsite ($20 a day)
Specially Priced Theme Park Military TicketsPurchase through December 17, 2015 4 day MYW tickets for $177 plus tax, for use by December 20, 2015. Add the Water Park Fun & More option for $30 more plus tax.
Discount for anyone:Ticket bridging
If you buy a ticket from a 3rd party wholesaler at a discount you can upgrade that ticket at the parks while still
maintaining any discount.
In order to do so you must first use the ticket at least one time to enter a major park.
The value of the new ticket must be more than the value of the ticket you have, but that is the only restriction.
They do not need to be the same type of ticket. You can upgrade a 4 day hopper to a 6 day basic ticket as long as you
have never used the ticket to park hop.
Special Priced Florida Resident Tickets offers vary, check Disney website
Disney Planning 101 (hacker style)
That just leaves…@ 181 days book dining@ 60 or 30 days book FP+Create detailed touring plans*
Among the things to consider are which park will be least crowded on a particular day. What to ride first. What
rides are best midday.
Many websites offer ‘best park each day’ advice but they do not explain the logic behind the recommendations.
In all cases the best day advice is for a non EMH park,this does not mean you should never go to an EMH park.
Some Best Days considerations• EMH increase crowds all day long, this effect is the worst at Hollywood Studios. Disney does a very
good job of advertising EMH as a perk for onsite guests and many guests treat EMH as a recommendation to attend that park even if they will not be attending during those hours, so it increases crowds all day long. Morning EMH have this effect more than evening EMH.
• A Park that had EMH yesterday will have lower crowds today.
• A Park that has EMH tomorrow will have lower crowds today.
• A Park that had EMH yesterday and will have EMH tomorrow will always be the best choice for that day. Otherwise yesterday trumps tomorrow.
• Disney is smart, if there are two parades/shows it is because they anticipate higher crowd levels, however the late parade/show may be a good viewing opportunity.
• Days MK has a Spectromagic parade will be busier than days that do not.
• Weekends and school holidays always increase crowds. School holidays (during regular school year) have the greatest effect on the MK. Friday and Saturday nights can impact all parks. Weekend days effect all parks and when it is hot out have a big effect on water parks as well.
• Special events may increase or decrease crowds.
The #1 best selling guide book and most used touring plans are The Unofficial
guide/touringplans.comThey give good advice, but there are a few things I
disagree with.
They are good, we can do better.
The Unofficial Guide’s problem is it is too popular. If 20,000 people use the same plan it is going to cause a log jam at
some point.
The new Fast Pass system and need for dining reservations makes 100%
individualized plans a better option. No software planning tool can really do that
for you.
When you first enter a park there will be Princesses, street skits, singing groups, stores, and a bakery that pumps the scent of baked goods onto the street. These are all designed to slow guests down. Don’t let them!
Prepare your kids in advanced for heading straight for a ride.
Ride priority is 100% about how fast the line builds
Rides or attractions that take longer to get people onto have lines that build the fastest
Next are rides that are popular and have a fixed or semi fixed number of riders per hour (almost all
rides fall into this category)
Last are less popular rides or attractions with huge capacity
Rider Swap and Single Rider lines can save you a significant amount of time
other topics… Disney World has 79 restaurants that
require advanced reservations, reservations open 180 days out*
Arrive 45 min to 1 hour before official opening time
Eat at off times, before noon for lunch and early or late for dinner
take breaks mid afternoon
the gift store route at MK & HS
there is so much to research and learn…
…or you can hire a Disney Planning Expert
A Disney Travel AgentA Vacation Planning Service*
or Both!
A destination specialist just makes sense for Disney World
A destination specialist just makes sense for Disney World
A Disney Earmarked Travel AgentThey are onsite resort experts, they can help you pick the best onsite option for your family
They will take care rebooking when special offer codes come out
They might book dinning reservations for you
They might book Fastpass+ reservations for you
Not all Disney Travel Agents are the same
An Itinerary Planning ServiceWill help you pick the best accommodations for your family, onsite, offsite, rental homes, time shares
Will partner with an Earmarked agency if you decide to stay onsite
Will suggest dining options that make sense with your other plans to minimize wasted travel time and book your dinning reservations for you
Will book your Fastpass+ reservations for you AND/Or teach you how to make the best selections yourself
Not all Itinerary Planning Services are the same, actually no two are alike, so I can only really say what I do for my clients.
If you are staying onsite or at a good neighbor hotel there is no reason not to
use a Disney Travel Agency
Your prices are the same and they will stay on top of rebooking for better
discounts.
Itinerary Planning Service
That is what I do. I am not affiliated with Disney nor certified by them. I am not a Travel Agent and do not receive
commissions from Disney.
I started out specializing in special needs planning. Food allergies, Autism, Deaf, Blind, Mobility issues, and so on. I
work entirely by word of mouth referrals.
I now also do Itinerary Planning for everyone and anyone. The best way to initially contact me is by DM on Twitter
@bachfancy I am also happy to answer questions by PM on the Saverocity
Forums, look for HaleyB